The Ubud Writers and Readers Festival was first organized by writer and Bali resident Janet De Neefe to hasten the recovery of tourism on the island after the 2002 terrorist bombing. From the ashes of those sad memories, the annual festival has risen into one of the biggest literary events in Asia.
Now in its fifth year, the festival will run between Oct. 6 and 10, the same month that commemorates the first Bali bombing.
The theme of this year’s festival is the Indonesian national motto “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” (“Unity in Diversity”).
It’s a phrase that originates from the Sutasoma, an ancient Javanese text which advocates respect between all people across religious, ethnic and social boundaries.
This year’s festival includes 120 writers from over 30 countries, among them Louis de Bernieres, best-selling author of “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin,” William Dalrymple, award-winning travel writer and historian, Booker Prize winners Anne Enright and Thomas Keneally, renowned Indonesian poet Sitor Situmorang and Ma Jian, an important voice in contemporary Chinese literature.
The festival also has a new name and sponsor, Citibank.
“As part of one of the world’s largest financial institutions, with a presence in more than 100 countries, Citibank is the logical choice for our festival,” said Neefe, the festival director.
Citibank will help expand the reach of the festival by promoting it in 12 countries, with an end goal of bringing a larger international audience to Bali.
“Bali has always been a place where people of all nationalities come to enjoy life to the fullest, and we believe it is time that Bali became an international meeting point,” said Irfan Ahmed, a representative of Citibank Indonesia.
Expanding the range of the festival not only helps boost the profile of the event, but it also offers a way for young Indonesian writers to introduce their work to a larger audience.
This year’s festival will showcase some of the brightest emerging Indonesian writers, including the likes of Kurnia Effendi, Arif Riski and Iwan Darmawan.
All the writers were selected by a curatorial board composed of noted Indonesian short-story writer Triyanto Triwikromo and poets Cok Sawitri and M Aan Mansyur.
Triyanto said the selected writers represent Indonesia by “reflecting the diversity in genres, ideologies, themes and tendencies of Indonesian literature.”
The festival’s organizers received 105 submissions this year from writers all across the country, more than twice the number of submissions from 2009.
M Aan Mansyur said that all the writers chosen for the festival share a unique gift of bringing to light a wide array of issues in local society.“
Their courage in exploring and highlighting all aspects of local culture should be acknowledged and praised. Some of them have even broken boundaries traversing into and exploring other cultures.”
Program coordinator Wayan Juniartha said: “In the Festival’s early years, we used to separate panels for Indonesian writers and speakers, but we gradually merged them to provide opportunities for emerging Indonesian writers to speak alongside noted international writers.”
This year the festival will go on a mini-tour, visiting schools and universities across Bali, to let the writers share their skills and passion with young Indonesian students.
Other highlights will include a free performance of the Patrick White Playwrights’ Award-winning play “The Crocodile Hotel,” by Australian Julie Janson.
The play tells of an incident in 1920 in which a Makassar fisherman stole a sacred Australian aboriginal object, only to be killed by its owner.
Balinese poet Cok Sawitri will also read the ancient Javanese Sutasoma text, the original source of Indonesia’s national motto.
There will also be a tribute to the late President Gus Dur during the opening ceremony and Bali’s governor Pastika will be on hand to discuss his role as chief of police during the Bali bombings in 2002.
The festival will cap off the celebrations by bestowing a lifetime achievement award to a senior Indonesian author who has spent his or her life advancing the cause of Indonesian literature.
Known for bringing popular writers back for repeat performances, this year’s festival is no exception.
Elizabeth Sinclair | September 26, 2010
Several festival favorites are part of the schedule this year, including Australian hip-hop artist and poet, Omar bin Musa.
Omar was the grand prize winner at the 2008 Australian Poetry Slam, and a 2009 Festival guest.
Imran Ahmad, best known for his autobiography “Unimagined,” (which tells his experiences as a Muslim boy growing up in England) will also be there.
He was a guest at the Festival in 2008 and 2009, when the Indonesian language version of his memoir was launched.
“The thought of letting the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2010 slip by without being there was unbearable, so I am returning, this time as a ‘reader,’ ” Imran said, “I can’t wait to breathe in the magic of Ubud again.”
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/lifeandtimes/poets-and-storytellers-shine-under-balis-sun/398129
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